WHY IS IT SO HARD TO MOVE PEOPLE & GOODS THROUGH AND WITHIN BRITISH COLUMBIA? (2025)

Issue

For years, the highway infrastructure of BC has lagged behind population growth. With that growth has come an explosion of rubber tire traffic: in Kelowna and the Central Okanagan; significant population growth within the region potentially reaching 690,000 in 20 years[1] plus trucks and increased residents moving around as the north has opened up to oil & LNG projects, mining projects and supply chain growth as commercial outlets have grown exponentially. Up and down the interior’s north-south corridors, especially, this growth is causing municipalities and districts to wrestle with the downstream effects (Prince George, Quesnel).[2]

Safety is an issue; adequate roadways and maintenance are issues; capacity is an issue; and accessible emergency response and evacuation routes particularly in the case of wildfires and flood are now a permanent issue throughout the province.

Background

Historically, roadway planning has been addressed in ten-year cycles.[3] Updating that planning has fallen victim to party and mandate changes, further delaying comprehensive fiscal plans to match existing or in progress plans made at Ministry level.

A given when discussing infrastructure (and Proportional Representation voting) has historically quoted the “Urban-Rural divide.” The divide refers to voting patterns, which in turn impact funding decisions, as MLAs in the governing parties seem traditionally positioned to argue for funding for their ridings. Money follow votes – it’s a reality. At present, the lower mainland attracts much of the transportation and transit projects – bridges, tunnels, light rapid transit. The interior of the province lags behind. Yet, the resource heavy interior requires heavy-duty highway infrastructure to transport lumber, mining and petroleum/LNG equipment. The popularity of tourism in the interior also puts automobiles on highways, and of course, transiting the province from east to west also places heavy requirements on the connecting highways.

Governments at all levels have a clear and ongoing responsibility to address safety and evacuation routes, particularly in light on changing climate conditions, and increases in interface wildfires which threaten populations and business infrastructure, as well as highway and bridge infrastructure throughout the province. This will protect BC’s infrastructure management and make a positive contribution to food security for the province as it better ensures effective and timely food shipments.

As rail usage has declined due to multiple factors, roadway infrastructure is increasingly vital to many areas of the province, especially those underserved or not served at all by rail service.

Policy on roadway changes begins at a micro local level. There has been only a faint desire in Victoria to fund an overall BC roadway master plan, which would include the north, the Island, the lower mainland, the Thompson Okanagan, and everywhere else. In the Okanagan, COITS (Central Okanagan Integrated Transportation Strategy)[4] is meant to address forward planning, but is very limited in its scope of meeting future commercial and population predictions.

Looking at one region – the Thompson Okanagan – the following characteristics are notable:

• Dearth of evacuation routes in the case of wildfire or floods.
• Infrequent water crossings, and redundancy (Kootenay Lakes ferry; Okanagan Bennett Bridge).
• Majority of roadways two-lane.
• Two-lane and four-lane roadways lack median barriers.
• Lack of appetite for detailed 20- 40- year growth plan despite exploding population forecasts, and exponential population growth in past ten years.

THE CHAMBER RECOMMENDS

That the Provincial Government:

1. Revisit the last ten years of published transportation plans for the province and review and fast-track not-yet-completed government recommendations.
2. Re-engage with business communities and municipalities/regional districts along major transportation routes to determine relevancy and need from uncompleted recommendations above and newly emerging transportation requirements to 2045.
3. Utilize up-to-date research to create a province-wide major roadway master plan.